St. Landry democrat., 1887-12-17

at the bottom. 1t was at this time the drop
letter system was introduced, such letters
being charged two cents. In 1915 the one
half ounce weight was made the standard
instead Of the number of sheets.
Other pOstmasters followed the example of
! Mr.. Lormer. In 1915 the postmasters in
| New Haven, St Louis and Alexandria issued
| stamps of tive-cent values. Z. A. MITCHELL
the postmaster in New Haven, designed his
own stamp and placed his autograph thereon.
The stamp did not differ much in size or in
form from the present government stamp,
but was of brown color and was printed on
ordinary paper and contained the words,
paid. New Haven Postotfice. 5 cents. Z.
A. Mitchell, P. NJ Mr.. Mitchell had them
printed for the use and convenience of the
citizens of New Haven, who had complained
to him of the delay sometimes oCCasiOned by
their being unable to prepay letters except
in office hours. The stamps were sold by
the postmaster and accepted as prepayment
when affixed. When Mitchell retired from
| the postotiice all stamps remaining On hand
were destroyed.
The stamps issued by the postmaster at st.
| Louis were black in color and 5, 10 and 20
cents in value. These stamps were Of the
same design. with the arms of Missouri in
the centre, Saint Louis and numeral of
value above, and ''Postotfice" below, in lined
frame. These stamps were engraved in cop
per, and there are several varieties of each
in dies and paper.
The Alexandria stamp was of the value Of
cents, and was printed in black ink on a
butf-colored envelope Above was the word
alexandria, below the word ''POst0ttCe,
and in the centre Paid 50 A circle Of stars
surrounded the inscription.
One of the early stamps issued by the
postmaster in New York fell into the hands
of F. \. Palmer, the postmaster at Brattle-
| bOrO', Vt, and in 1916, he engaged Thomas
| chubbuck New York engraver, to prepare
! a cOpperplate for him. containing eight
| stamps. From this plate 5O0 stamps were
| printed. The design was very plain. con-
Sstng of an octagonal centre, containing the
pustmasters initials f y. p" on a tinted
| background in imitation of his own hand
writing; around this centre was a border,
| which was also ruled, but i'll a different di
rection, and contained the words. "Brattle
boro, VT" at the top, 'P. o. at the sides,
and rs cents below. These stamps were
printed on buff paper, with black ink, and
were Of a rectangular shape, seyen-eighths Of
an inch wide and nine-sixteenths of an inch
high, not including the margin.
The Providence stamps, also issued by the
local postmaster in 1916, were of two values,
and 10 cents, printed in black ink. They
are large, oblong, unprecedented. The in
scription. "Postotfce, Prov. r. l.. Five
Cents appears in three lines in transverse
oval with ornamental corners. The engrav
ing was poor.
The Baltimore stamp was oblong in shape,
perforated, and Of the value of cents. 1t
consisted of the fac-simile of the signature
of the postmaster, James NJ. Buchanan"
with IS cents below, inclosed in single
line.
When these provisional stamps were first
introduced few citizens possessed correct
idea of their use. An enterprising merchant
in Westminster street, Providence, was one
of the first TO purchase a sheet of the PrOvi
dence stamps. Atthat time the only method
of CanCelling the stamps was with pen and
ink stroke. The merchant took the stamps
to his office, and after showing them to the
clerks and explaining their advantages, he
proceeded to cancel each one as he had seen
them on letters. Having occasion later to
use one of the stamps, he was informed to
his disgust that being cancelled they were
useless. He explained that he had cancelled
the stamps to save the postottce clerks the
trouble, but his generosity was not appre-
ciated.
In 1877 the United States government or
dered the destruction Of the provisional
stamps, together with the various dies and
plates owned by postmasters, and in place OF
these the government issued stamps Of the
value Of 5 and 10 cents, the scent stamp
bearing a portrait of Benjamin Franklin
printed in brown ink, and the l0-cent stamp
bearing head of Washington. printed in
black ink
Cave johnson had assumed the office of
Postmaster General in 1915. succeeding
Charles a Wickliffe. Johnson found it a her
culean task to reinstate the reform measures
of Mr.. Niles. During Wickliffe's administra-
ton the number Of postotfices had increased
by only sos, but johnson, during his term of
office, added 4, 237 new offices to the rolls.
Among the reform measures of Mr.. Niles
that he adopted was the postage-stamp
idea. The President had converted his
Postmaster General from opposing the
reduction of postageto championship Of the
lowest paying rates, and Johnson garnished
his conversion with fathering the suggestion
originated six years before. The matter took
form as bill before Congress- and though it
was quite the fashion to oppose any Cabinet
suggestion, the act authorizing the issue of
stamps, Of the value of five and ten cents,
was passed and approved March 3, 1877. The
date Of the issue was appointed as July l,
but there was delay in the contractors work
and the time was extended one month.
On the 9Th of August, soon after the open
ing of the Postmaster Generals Office for the
day, an old gentleman called to see Mr.. John
son on business. The gentleman was the
Hon. Henry Shaw, of New York, the father
of Josh Billings" While Mr. Shaw was in
the office there arrived the printer the new
stamps. Sheets of the stamps were laid be-
fore the Postmaster General, who, after re-
ceipting for them, handed them to Mr.. Shaw
to inspect. The visitor returned them after
hasty glance and then drawing out his
wallet counted out fifteen cents with which
he purchased two of the stamps-the first
two ever issued. The fve-cent stamp he pre-
served as a curiosity, and the ten-cent stamp
10 tod to Governor RriupS Of MaSca-